- Paperback: 311 pages
- Publisher: Phoenix; New edition edition (12 Oct 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0575402539
- ISBN-13: 978-0575402539
- Product Dimensions: 17.8 x 11.2 x 2.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 627,054 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Paul Graves knows evil to the bone. He confronted it first as a boy, when he witnessed the torture and murder of his sister. Now he writes mystery stories set in gaslight New York, a world coloured by Graves' own past. Graves is invited to spend the summer at Riverwood, at artists' community in upstate New York. But for all its splendour and isolation Riverwood was once touched by crime - a teenage girl from the estate was murdered fifty years before. When Graves is asked to investigate the murder it is more than just the exploration of a long-past crime: he must apply the art of mystery fiction to the murder, then write a story that will enable the victim's mother finally to find peace.
About the Author
Thomas H. Cook is the author of 14 previous novels and two books of true crime.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
Looking out over the city, imagining its once-coal-blackened spires, he knew that he did it to keep his distance, that he set his books back in time because it was only in that vanished place, where the smell of ginger nuts hung in the air and horse-drawn water wagons sprayed the cobblestone streets, that he felt truly safe. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Looking out over the city, imagining its once-coal-blackened spires, he knew that he did it to keep his distance, that he set his books back in time because it was only in that vanished place, where the smell of ginger nuts hung in the air and horse-drawn water wagons sprayed the cobblestone streets, that he felt truly safe. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Regradless of genre, Thomas H Cook may be the greatest writer of fiction being published today. As the title may suggest, this is Cook's darkest and most disturbing novel to date - and yet, as always, it is beautifully written, totally compelling and will have you guessing until the final chapter. If you have read other novels by Cook then you will not be dissappointed. If this is your first taste of his talent, you can guarantee you'll be reading his other works very soon.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have read all of Cook's previous novels, and loved them all. "Breakheart Hill" is my favorite, but closely followed by "Instruments of Night". Read this book and you will find yourself drawn into a mesmerizing story, beautifully written, and with an unexpected, horrifying denouement that will disturb your waking hours as well as sleep for days.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Thomas H Cook's latest novel is a dark tale of love, betrayal, innocence and guilt. A story within a story, Instruments of Night follows the progress of Paul Graves, a man as sombre as his name suggests, whose childhood memories of the night his sister was murdered still seep into his consciousness like infected blood in a wound that refuses to heal. When asked to apply his novelist skills to a fifty-year old mystery, Paul finds himself trapped by the demons of his past which threaten to consume him. Cook's elegant prose marks this as a superior thriller. Though it has often been said of other books, this is a truly one that you cannot put down. Not only are the characters well-drawn but the style of the writing is almost filmic in its ability to create pictures in the mind of the reader. It is this quality which draws the reader in so far that you can hardly dare to read any further, and yet cannot lay the book aside. With its effortless evocation of sights, sounds and places this novel would make a marvellous film. Cook's writing has all the tension of a Stephen King novel but is a much more sophisticated and lyrical essay on the horror of human cruelty. This novel is beautifully crafted and deserves your rapt attention. Make yourself comfortable for a few hours! Make sure you have plenty of tea and toast! Although best read under the covers, having finished this read you will find it hard to sleep without the light on....
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Not up to Par?
Thomas H. Cook never writes a bad book but I was slightly disappointed with this one. It never really got going and I believe that you would have to be a fan to enjoy it. Read more
Published on 22 Feb 2010 by Madeleine Godbold
Another superb read from Cook.
Although "Breakheart Hill" is my personal favorite, "Instruments of Night" is a close second. Do yourself a favor and read both now! They will stay with you for a long time.
Published on 27 Nov 2002 by Magnus Olsen
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